Shoot for the Moon
by TwiliPrincess049
Summary: "You know, I really might have even taken a Numel over this...they're even kind of cute..." All I wanted was a normal, nice, burn-everything-to-a-crisp-fire-type Pokemon. So why'd I have to get saddled with this, rare or not? Discontinued for now
1. The Power of Pancakes

**Hi there! Glad you're taking the time to check this out. I've done a Pokemon story before (heh... *nerd*), but I'm afraid that one was an epic fail. BUT here we are again, months later and plus a few experience points in the world of FanFiction! So this, I hope, won't be a fail XD**

**Set in the game-world, since I'm just getting into the anime, with a quirky little ten-year old (who will grow up pretty fast) who likes fire types and pancakes...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, Team Galactic/Rocket/whatever else they're called would be DEAD for murdering all those Magikarp... *froths at the mouth***

***ahem* Carry on.  
**

**x.X.x  
**

I liked pancakes. I always had: ever since I was little, they'd been the one thing that got me out of bed every morning. Hey, they had _some _nutritional value! Not that I knew what that meant, but I had heard my parents joking about it as I wolfed down my breakfast and _I _thought it sounded cool. Plus, it was fun to pretend that I knew more than my best friend, Lucy.

Who, by the way, had started her journey as a Pokemon trainer a full _week _ago. I was pretty sure I had died at least four times in the past seven days just from _thinking _about it. She _must _be in Jubilife by now! Or maybe Oreburgh, or Eterna, or…well, I didn't know what came after that. They only teach you so much in Pokemon Training School, you know.

But enough about that. Today was my birthday-my _tenth _birthday, to be exact. And everyone knew what happened on that magical day.

That was also why I was up even before my nose had started twitching from the smell of pancake batter slowly turning fluffy and syrup being warmed up by my mom's Flareon. She'd been a trainer, too, when she was younger. When I was a little kid she would tell me lots of stories about her adventures and accidentally evolving her Eevee into a Flareon rather than a Glaceon. Then she'd met my dad, and…well, it all went downhill from there, in my opinion.

Still, that was why I knew so much about Eevee and its evolutions. Glaceon, Leafeon, Flareon, Umbreon, Espeon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon-the best Pokemon _ever. Ever._ Ever, ever, ever, in all the history of Pokemon and mankind, those were the best.

And _that _was what I was going to get for my birthday. Or hoped I was, anyway. My little Eevee would be the best one ever (even better than the other best-Pokemon-evers), even if I was still having trouble deciding on what to evolve it into. I had been not-so-subtly dropping hints for the past couple of months that pointed toward which Pokemon I wanted for my tenth birthday, since both my parents had promised to get me one. Unless you were called specially by Professor Oak-and that was rare-you either had to rely on your parents to get you a Pokemon for your birthday or catch one yourself. Most people got one for their birthday.

"Celeste! Breakfast!" Dad's voice echoed up the stairs, along with his Growlithe bouncing into my room and pouncing onto the bed. I grinned and got up, patting my legs and racing it down the steps. I nearly knocked into my father's huge frame-well, huge to a ten-year-old-standing at the foot of the stairs. His face broke into a wide smile, picking me up and swinging me around the kitchen with his little puppy Pokemon nipping at his heels.

"There's the birthday girl!" Mom answered with a laugh as my dad set me down. "Ten years…my, my, you're getting old!"

"Yep!" I answered proudly, puffing my chest out. I could act immature for a little while longer, after all-even I knew that it was all business with Pokemon training. My mother smiled and set a plate of Eevee-shaped pancakes on the table in front of me, and I drowned them in syrup and chomped down. For a few minutes there was regular table-talk, with me trying (as tactfully as I possibly could) to move the conversation along to my Pokemon. But Mom and Dad seemed to be stubbornly set on the pros and cons of having an all-fire team as opposed to an all-flying type team, and were ignoring my attempts at changing the topic. Though I normally would have found it funny that neither were making any real attempts to defend flying-type-we all had a soft spot for fire-types, after all-after fifteen minutes I could stand it no more.

"So what about _my _Pokemon?" I burst out finally. Talk ceased, and I immediately regretted my interruption. So much for tact. Mom and Dad exchanged a look I was sure I wasn't supposed to see, and I resisted the impulse to put my hands on my hips and stare them both down.

"Well, honey," Mom hedged, shrugging. "We know you want an Eevee, but…" At her pause, my mind went into overdrive. Okay, so Eevee was probably out if the infamous "but" was involved. So maybe a cool Chimchar…or a Charmander…or a Torchic… Maybe I'd even get a Vulpix-which looked pretty much like an Eevee-and I could evolve it into the best Ninetales _ever _(maybe even cooler than all the other Pokemon on my best-ever list). And then I could catch an Eevee and _then _raise it into the best Pokemon ever.

I looked at my parents, already having cheered myself up, and tilted my head to the side as Dad picked up the conversation where Mom had trailed off.

"The only Eevee we could find that hadn't already been sold was ridiculously overpriced, though we tried as hard as we could to bargain." My father shrugged helplessly, and again Mom continued for him.

"So we got you something I think you'll like. You used to love these Pokemon, remember?"

I racked my brains for Pokemon that I used to love. _Please let it be a Vulpix, please be a Vulpix, please be a Vulpix… _I thought, praying to Dialga and Ho-Oh and Mespirit and Azelf and Uxie and whatever other Legendary that might be watching me. With a Vulpix I could play around with it and keep it out of its Pokeball like my mom and dad did, and then evolve it into a Ninetales and burn any Pokemon that stood in my way to a crisp. I had almost convinced myself that my little fox was waiting inside as Mom took a Pokeball out from behind her back and put it in my hand.

I took a deep breath, having practiced my Pokeball-throw for weeks. I was still clumsy at it, and it wasn't nearly as dramatic as I wanted it to be: but hey, it was a start.

I gently tossed the Pokeball, unused to its new weight because of the little creature inside of it, and held my breath as red mist swirled around the sphere. A creature about waist-high rose up, and I felt my face fall as I realized it wasn't a Vulpix. What exactly it _was_, though, I certainly had no clue.

"Rio!" it chirped happily, bouncing on its tiptoes. "Lu! Rio!"

"I think we got very lucky," Mom said, smiling at the little…thing. "Riolu are very hard to find, in normal circumstances, but your father and I managed to find someone who was willing to trade for a Togetic."

"You traded Togetic?" was all I could ask. A Riolu? A _Riolu_? I knew they were rare, sure, but that didn't mean I automatically _wanted _one! When had I liked Riolu? It wasn't even _part _fire-type! It didn't even _evolve _into a fire type! It evolved into a Lucario! A steel and fighting type! I didn't even _like _steel types, and fighting types were just_…weird._ Besides, Lucario had always scared me. They were tall, regal, and they could _read minds_. Well…kind of. Emotions. Same thing.

"Well? What do you think?" I was yanked back to reality by Dad's voice, eyeing the little human-like Pokemon with something like affection. "He's a cute little guy, isn't he?"

"I wanted a Vulpix…" I mumbled. "Or an Eevee…anything but a Riolu…"

"Now, young lady, your mother and I worked hard to get you this little Pokemon, so you should be grateful. It could have been no Pokemon at all, you know."

"But I wanted a fire-type…" A Magmar! A Torchic! A Ponyta! Heck, I would have taken a Slugma at this point!

"Celeste, is that any way to thank your parents?" Mom's voice was getting firm, and I knew the parent talk was coming on. The one where they worked really hard and I was being very ungrateful and hurting this little Riolu's feelings and why couldn't I appreciate what I had because some people in the Hoenn region never saw a Pokemon in their entire life and blah blah blah. I was going to avoid _that _at all costs, so I huffed and muttered a low, "Thank you. I like it."

"'It' is a he, if you were planning on showing some respect for your new partner," Dad interjected. "Now, do you want to play a little with your Riolu?"

"No," I sighed. "I'll just go up to my room. Thanks." I thought that was the first time I had ever gone willingly up to my room. With my new fighting-type behind me. I could have had an Eevee bouncing at my heels or a Vulpix chasing its tails. But no. I was stuck with this Riolu. They weren't _that _rare, and I didn't understand why everyone just wanted the "rare" Pokemon anyway. Flareon were way cooler than Articuno.

And there went my type advantages, too. Fire Pokemon were awesome against nearly everything but water-types, and even then I could have gotten a grass-type or something to cover its back. I didn't even know what fighting-types were strong or weak to. I _did _know, though that I had absolutely nothing against a ghost-type. Great.

I don't think even pancakes could have cheered me up.

**x.X.x**

**So that was that. REALLY short chapter, so sorry about that. (Most of my other chapters are around 4,000 to 5,000 words, so this is a bit of a change) ;)**

**And Celeste has a Riolu now! (which happen to be my favorite Pokemon *cough cough* Lucario, anyway) **

**So I do author notes a heckuva lot, and sometimes they get long and drawn-out. But mainly all I'm trying to say is review, tell me what you think, don't sugar coat, and keep readin'! ;D  
**


	2. I've Got It!

**I'm back! **

**Oh, wow, you have no idea HOW surprised I was when I saw the reviews! Quality over quantity, here more than ever! So, thanks to you amazing people, a new chapter is up sooner than I expected ;)**

**Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that it's MUCH easier to submit three-page chapters than eight-page chapters, but y'know XD (I'm kind of used to the latter)**

**So there will be no Pokedex, since Celeste is just on her way to become the best trainer _ever_, but there will, of course, be Gym badges. I'm taking a few things from the anime (I've only seen the first eight episodes), and I know that Ash was perfectly able to get a couple of badges as a ten-year-old. Granted, I was a little disappointed with the fact that he was simply GIVEN the badges instead of having won battles for them, but it goes to show that a ten-year-old CAN get a few Gym badges. Celeste may be a little different, but I'm trying as hard as I can not to make her a Sue. I want her to actually get Gym badges and make it to the Elite Four, but I do understand that it might take a little while. I'm planning on having her spend a really long time maybe journeying around Sinnoh or leveling up and THEN getting badges, but we'll get there ;)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon. And Cynthia is just about the coolest character I've ever seen other than Lance. Actrually, CxL would be an adorable couple...**

**x.X.x**

I sat glumly on my bed, staring at picture frames on the windowsill like the people I'd seen in movies. Maybe Mespirit would take pity on me and give me a Vulpix if she saw how sad I was. It worked for Lily, the heroine in my favorite movie, so why shouldn't it work for me?

I blew a raspberry and put my chin in my hands, wondering where Lucy was. At this rate, she would be the Champion by the time my journey started. I flopped back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling and the glow-in-the-dark stars pasted there.

A weird sound drew my gaze to the floor, where my new Riolu was sitting cross-legged on the carpet and pursing its lips. I raised my eyebrows as it-he, I reluctantly corrected myself-blew out, making a sound similar to the one I made when I tried to whistle. He looked up at me, and a smile broke out on his face as he waved. I huffed, turning away and absently blowing another raspberry as I did. The same noise, though, made me turn back and look over my shoulder accusingly at the little blue thing. His lips were still pursed like mine, and he was blowing as hard as he could. Finally I realized that the little Riolu was trying to copy me, and I snorted and laid back down on the bed with my back to the Pokemon, my face buried in my pillow.

"Rio? Riolu?" came a small squeak from the floor.

"Be quiet," I muttered. "Go downstairs or something."

"Rio_-lu_," the Pokemon chirped, and I heard little feet pattering toward me. Then a small poke in my shoulder, and shifting of the mattress as he jumped onto the bed with me. Angrily, I threw the covers back and shoved the Riolu back onto the floor.

"Go _away_! I don't like you!" I exclaimed. "I wanted a Vulpix! Or an Eevee! Not a _Riolu_!" I ignored the sadness that welled up in his little scarlet eyes as he turned with a tiny, "Rio," and disappeared out the door. I muttered to myself a little, yanking the covers up over my head and watching the blobs of light streaming through the window shift as they filtered through the blanket, clamping my hands over my ears to block out the sound of the tiny whimpers that I could hear all too well hiding behind my bedroom door.

"Go away," I muttered. "Go downstairs or something. I know Dad likes you more than I do." I knew I was being mean, but all of my big plans for my life had just been crushed. I had been counting on at least getting a fire Pokemon, and I'd made different backup plans in case I didn't get the Pokemon I'd been dreaming about since I was seven. Three years ago, my Eevee-obsession had started. I'd just woke up one day and decided I wanted to be a fire-trainer, with my unstoppable Flareon at my side.

Now, of course, that was gone. With a Riolu I'd never be unstoppable.

After a few more minutes I rolled over, hearing the familiar clicking of tiny claws against the hardwood floor and the steady tapping of Mom's slip-on shoes. She was coming up, her Flareon at her side, probably to get mad at me for being so mean to Riolu.

"Celeste?" I didn't expect her voice to be soft and sympathetic, and I rolled over again, my back to my mother. "Are you under there?"

"No," I answered, my voice muffled and hopefully hiding the fact that there were tears in my eyes. Why was I crying? I was _mad_, darn it!

"C'mon out; let's talk."

Slowly I pushed the covers back and sat up, sniffing as Mom gave a sad smile and combed her fingers through my flame-red hair, trying in vain to smooth it down. She chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "You really hurt Riolu's feelings, you know," she started, and I shifted.

"Sorry," I mumbled, knowing that an apology was needed and it was best just to get it out.

"Now, Celeste, don't give me that halfhearted tone. You don't _sound _like you're sorry," Mom answered, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged, muttering, "I am."

"Then why don't you apologize to your new Pokemon, not me. Riolu can sense emotions, you know. He'll know if you're sorry or not." I looked up in surprise. That wasn't fair!

I opened my mouth to tell her just that, when I caught sight of a little face peeking around the doorframe.

"Rio?" he asked meekly.

"Um…" I shifted, looking down and thinking that maybe if I didn't make eye-contact he wouldn't know my emotions, like Mom had said. "Sorry." That didn't mean I now liked him, but at least I was kind of sorry. I never meant to hurt any Pokemon's feelings. I was just mad and disappointed.

"Rio, riolu." He sounded like he was sighing, or maybe just resigned. Mom nodded, deciding that was good enough, and smiled kindly at the little Pokemon. Then she turned her gaze on me, still with that warm smile, and said, "Shall we cut the cake now?"

I nodded, almost having forgotten about the triple-chocolate, Pokemon-shaped birthday cake, and she smoothed my hair back again and kissed my forehead, getting up and patting her leg for her Flareon to follow her back into the kitchen. With a last glance over his shoulder at me, Riolu chirped and bounced after them. I blew a raspberry, then stood and trudged down the stairs. Cruel, cruel world. Stupid Mespirit. And Azelf. And Uxie. And Dialga. I still didn't understand why I couldn't have had just one little Vulpix.

I managed to cheer up a little as cake was being served, though both Pokemon in the household kept trying to beg for snacks and scramble up on the table. Mom and Dad each swatted them away, laughing, and from the stairs my Riolu peeked into the kitchen and silently watched.

When we were all finished, a last round of Happy Birthday was sung, and then I went willingly up to my room for the second time that day. Normally I might have played with Flareon or Growlithe, but I couldn't help but feel a little bitter when I thought of being able to play with my _Vulpix _after dinner. I might have been overreacting, but one couldn't blame a ten year old to act dramatically when her dream-world comes crashing down around her.

I sighed and shut my door, wordlessly sending a message to my parents-and to Riolu-that I didn't want to be disturbed, and flopped down into the chair in front of my PC to kill time until it was reasonable to go to sleep. Then, I went willingly to bed for the first time in my life.

That night, I lay awake thinking. I tried to get myself hyped up about having a Pokemon at all-something little like _this _wasn't going to get me down! I was still going to be the best Pokemon trainer _ever_!-but nothing worked. I just couldn't be happy about having a Pokemon I knew nothing about.

Why couldn't Mom or Dad have traded Togetic for something else? Or, better yet, why couldn't they have traded Riolu for an Eevee? Riolu were rare, and Lucario even more so, right? So couldn't they have just kept trading until they found a good fire type? I mean, Riolu were about as tradable as it got-

I stopped thinking for a moment. Then I sat bolt upright as the brightest light bulb I had ever had lit up in my head-we're talking Pikachu-powered, Voltorb-generated, one hundred percent _light_ here, people!

What if my parents didn't have to trade Riolu? What if…

What if _I _could trade?

I had an ID, I had a Pokemon, I was technically an official trainer, and there was a center for it in Jubilife! It was perfect! Put up a trade for an Eevee or a Vulpix for a Riolu, and _bing_! My very own fire-type! Then I could keep training as the fire trainer I always wanted to be!

Sure, maybe it would make Mom and Dad a little miffed, but they would understand, right? Right? And Riolu probably wouldn't care much, since I would run all the way to Jubilife and not have any time for bonding on the way there, so it could just be passed right along to the next trainer-one who might actually appreciate fighting types!

Content for the first time that day and thinking that maybe things would turn out okay after all, I drifted off to sleep.

Morning sunlight streamed through the window, and I swung my feet out of bed and bounced down the stairs with my backpack, ID, and Pokeballs. Doing my best to ignore Riolu, who met me at the foot of the steps with a big smile, I met my parents in the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" Dad asked with a grin, and I nodded as my daily pancakes were set in front of me. I had, among other things that I would need for the journey, a big box of pancake batter and anything else I would need to make all the pancakes in the world. I had learned how when I was nine, and I never forgot.

"Ready to start your journey?" Mom's voice came from behind the counter, where she was apparently crouched: looking for something underneath the sink, I guessed. Her Flareon was prancing around on the countertop and waving its tail in Dad's Growlithe's face, who was desperately trying to get up on the ceramic.

"Yup!" I answered through a mouthful of pancakes and syrup.

"Manners, Celeste," Dad scolded gently, and I nodded and swallowed.

"I'm ready!"

"Okay. You remember everything you need? Money, Pokeballs, your cell phone, and changes of clothes to wash at PokeCenters?" my mother asked, and I bounced up and down in my chair, my head bobbing in time with my jumping.

"Yep!" I stuffed another bite of pancakes in my mouth, hopping down from the chair and bringing my plate to the sink.

"Alright, sweetie. Remember to call us at every Pokecenter!"

"Aw, mo-om! Not _every _Pokecenter! I won't have _time _for that! Besides, big kids don't _need _to call their parents all the time!"

"Well, you do. Just call us if something happens, okay? Or if you just get lonely," Mom answered with a laugh. I beamed.

"I won't get lonely! I'll have my Pokemon with me!"

"I'm sure. Now, off you go! Remember, don't talk to strangers, and don't go walking in tall grass or off the trails if your Pokemon aren't up to it, okay?" Dad gave me a big, crinkly-eyed smile, and I ran out into Twinleaf Town, turning around with a wave and bending down to tighten the laces on my running shoes.

"Bye!" I yelled, waving. Mom chuckled, holding Flareon back, and nodded.

"Have fun! Be safe!"

"I will!" With that, I turned and dashed off, already having put Riolu in his Pokeball: I was headed straight for Jubilife.

**x.X.x**

**Tada!**

**Ooh, Celly has a plan...**

**Sorry about the freakishly long author-notes at the top ^^; **

**(And, by the way, I absolutely love long reviews. More than two-sentence reviews, anyway. It makes me feel like you really appreciate the story, somehow...ah, I dunno. You know what I mean)**

**If you review, I'd love to know what you think about the monster-paragraph at the top. Gym badges, I mean, not that paragraph itself ;D**

**Thanks!  
**


	3. Dramatic Music

**And I'm back again! **

**I've decided I'm going to do Gyms, but they won't be freakishly hard. There'll be some risk of death in Pokemon battles (hehe...you'll see), but it's not necessarily life-and-death situations all the time. Gym leaders will be exceedingly hard, though, something I hope not to mess up ;)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, Riolu would totally be a starter...**

**x.X.x  
**

I barreled straight through Sandgem Town, sparing the professor a brief wave as I raced up Route 201 and 202. Had I been in less of a hurry, I might have stopped to admire the beach or let my Pokemon out, but I knew that the right trainer to trade with could be walking away from the Trading Center right now. There was no time to waste.

I burst into Jubilife, stopping to rest, bending over with my hands on my knees and standing there for a few minutes, getting my breath back. I had never been a track star-in fact, though I had the energy, I just couldn't run very far. I was kind of fast, but only just enough not to be considered slow.

After I'd recovered, I stopped, getting ready to take off again for the Trading Center, but then I saw Jubilife. I had no choice but to look up in awe: the people walking on the sidewalks, the towering buildings, the fountain in the center of it all. It was too much, and now I walked woodenly forward to sit down on a bench, craning my neck to see the tops of the buildings. I shrugged off my backpack and set it on the planks next to me, leaning back to admire everything.

"Wow," I whispered. It was all so…big. Huge.

Shaking myself and reminding myself why I'd run all the way here (despite resting a few times on the way), I got to my feet and took my sweater off, tying it around my waist and then taking off for the Pokemon Trading Center.

"Hello!" a woman said cheerfully, beginning almost immediately to teach me how to trade after the usual introductions. I took it all in, looking around as I did, my gaze perpetually drawn to the huge globe in the center of the room: the world was _that_ big?

I nodded, shifting and ready to begin trading when she was done, already entertaining ideas of my new Vulpix or Eevee, and looked up when the woman said, "Now, where are your Pokemon?"

"Oh, they're in my…" I trailed off, realizing that there was nothing on my back. Stupidly, I looked over my shoulder as if thinking that it would be there anyway. "My back…pack…" I finished softly. The woman raised her eyebrows.

"Your backpack?" she asked, and I jumped up.

"I've got to go!" I practically screamed, drawing way too many stares as I raced out the doors and skidded around the sidewalk and other people, sprinting back to the bench.

My backpack, the one with my Pokeballs and ID and clothes and pancakes…it was gone. "No!" I screamed, looking wildly around. "No, no, no, no, no, _no_!" That was where my trading Pokemon was! My Riolu, the one that would get me an Eevee!

That was when I saw the sign. "WANTED," it screamed in big, bold letters. There was a picture below, a shadowy representation of a man with a big nose and shaved head. On an impulse, I stuck my tongue out in disgust, and then read the caption at the bottom. "Pokemon Thief. Reward: one thousand."

"Darn it!" I exclaimed, wishing I knew more colorful curse words. "Darn it, darn it, darn it!" I must have looked crazy, hopping up and down in front of the poster, but I was past caring.

"Excuse me…" I looked up at a low voice, and jumped back at the young man standing in front of me, glasses perched on his nose and hat tilted down over his face. He was holding a notepad, and I felt my brow crease as I scrutinized him. He looked really old to me, but mom always said that I had a wacky perception of age. She would have said that he looked twenty or something, but _I _thought he looked at least a hundred. "Would you like some help?" I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, but I figured this was an exception. After all, I lived for finding the loopholes and exceptions in rules that were laid down before me.

"My Pokemon was stolen," I explained, pointing at the picture. "My whole _backpack!_" I remembered leaving Riolu's Pokeball peeking out in the mesh water bottle holder, and I internally cursed-again wishing I knew words other than "darn it" and "poopie!"

"Well, maybe I can help you. Have you gone to the police station yet?" he asked, and I shook my head. "What kind of Pokemon was it?"

"A Riolu, but he was in his ball!"

"Okay. Come on, I'll take you to the police station." He started to walk off, and I followed miserably: my trading material! It was gone! Now I'd never get an Eevee or a Vulpix or a Ponyta or _anything! _Not only that, but I was even worried for Riolu! What if the Pokemon thief turned out to be a big, bad man who killed Pokemon and ate their bones? Then it was all my fault, and I'd _never _be a Pokemon Trainer!

"Hello!" I was yanked from my reverie by a polite voice, belonging to a police officer standing in front of me and the man that was helping me. "How can I help you?" Despite sounding nice, she was definitely serious.

"Hello, Officer. This girl has had her backpack stolen, with her Pokeballs inside," the young man explained. Her brow creased, and she put her hands on her hips.

"Hmm…a new trainer, are you?" she asked me, and I nodded fearfully. I had heard that big-city policemen and women weren't very nice. That's what Lucy said, anyway. She also said that there were tiny Caterpie that followed her around because she was destined for greatness, but it was a moot point. "You think it was the Pokemon thief?"

"Y-yes," I squeaked. "It was a Riolu…and some other stuff inside."

"Alright, well, there's not much we can do now. Everyone has already been told to search for the man, but I'll put up a notice about your backpack. What color was it?"

"Blue and green…?" My voice made it sound like a question, and she nodded, taking a pen and jotting everything down on her hand.

"Good. Your name?"

"C-Celeste Fare."

"Alright, Ms. Celeste. You have a phone?"

"Yes." I was gaining confidence, and she dipped her head, asking what my number was. I gave it to her, along with anything else she asked, and then she sent me off. The young man stayed with me for a little while, saying, "The Pokecenter lets trainers stay in rooms for free, but you might have a bit of a problem persuading them you're a trainer." I nodded miserably.

"I have money," I mumbled. That, unfortunately, was in my backpack.

"I'll help you prove it to them, if you like. They'll probably believe you anyway, though. Nurse Joy is very kind."

I shrugged and followed him to the Pokecenter, where he made short work of convincing Nurse Joy. She already looked sympathetic at the sight of poor, pitiful, downtrodden me, and made sure to usher me to a huge, exceedingly nice room in the back, thanking the young man that had brought me.

"Good luck, Celeste," he said, smiling for the first time. "If you find Riolu, see if you can contact Connor and tell me." I nodded, waving glumly, and he smiled and dipped his head politely to Nurse Joy.

"All right, sweetie, you just tell me if you need anything, okay?" she told me as she was leaving. I nodded, sighing and dropping onto the bed, and rested my chin in my hands as I stared out the window.

For the next couple of days, there was nothing. I began to get worried: not just for my trading material, the thing that would get me my Eevee, but Riolu himself. He had been put in my care, and if there was one thing I had learned from my parents, it was that it was my job to take care of him.

The only good thing that I could see would come from this was that Riolu wouldn't trust me or like me as much after all this-he might even hate me-which would make it much easier to trade him.

Finally, right when I was about to either go crazy or die from waiting, Nurse Joy knocked on my door, beaming when I opened it.

"We found your Riolu!" she exclaimed, and I felt my face light up.

"Really?" I was at breaking point: she could have told me that they had found my pancake batter and I would have still thrown a party.

"Come with me!" I bounced after her down the hall, and into the town square. There was a cluster of people around the fountain, where a man was being held down by another passerby, and the thief's Nidorino was snorting and pawing the ground beside them. "The police are on their way," Nurse Joy whispered in my ear. "But that Nidorino is pretty angry. Your backpack is in his coat, and your Riolu's Pokeball is right…there." She pointed at a red sphere that was rolling away, and the man that was being held down made a mad grab for it. His opponent shoved him back onto the ground and took it, holding it up.

"Whose is this?" he called, looking around. I shoved through the crowd and held my arms up, calling, "That's mine!"

"Celeste!" Nurse Joy's voice echoed behind me, and, too late, I realized that I had just drawn the Nidorino's attention to me. It snorted, lowering its head and getting ready to charge, and I screamed, trying to scramble backwards but-of course-tripping over my own feet and falling. Suddenly I regretted watching so many scary movies: this was what happened to people right before they got their heads eaten by a big, scary Dusknoir.

In a moment of confusion, I saw Riolu's Pokeball dropped by the man that had caught the Pokemon thief. A flash of red light, and then my Pokemon stood up, almost immediately jumping into the air and landing right in front of me.

"Rio-_lu_!" he said angrily, though not at me. He was turned toward the Nidorino, and stubbornly standing in between me and the angry Pokemon.

"No! Riolu!" I hissed, but really didn't want to get in between them. Besides, I wouldn't stand a chance against that thing: Riolu might. Of course, there could have also been a year and twenty levels difference between the two, but I had no way of knowing that.

The Nidorino let out a roar, beginning to charge, and in a blindingly fast move Riolu darted forward and lashed out with a kick before zipping back to his original position. It didn't deter the rampaging Pokemon for long, and soon it was running again, building speed. There was no way my Riolu had time for another attack, but still he stood stubbornly between me and the thief's Pokemon. I saw his crimson eyes squeeze shut, his little hands balling into fists as he tensed, and finally his shoulders hunching as he prepared to meet the Nidorino's attack.

I scuttled backwards, eyes wide in horror, and shielded my face with my arms as the two Pokemon collided. Riolu, stiff as a statue, tumbled backward, and finally I heard someone call, "Nidorino, return!"

A couple of moments passed, filled with unrecognizable sounds. Then, warily, I peeked out from behind my hands, covering my face, and the first thing I saw was Nurse Joy leaning over me.

"Celeste!" she exclaimed. "Celeste, are you okay? Can you hear me?" I nodded mutely, eyes wide, and nearby saw a police officer handcuffing the Pokemon thief. His Nidorino was inside its Pokeball, held by another officer. I kept looking, my gaze circling around the crowd of people held back by the caution tape, and saw what I was looking for.

"Riolu!" I shrieked, pushing Nurse Joy away and scrambling up, running over to my Pokemon. He was crumpled in a heap, and I got down on my hands and knees next to him, looking up desperately as Nurse Joy half-jogged, half-walked over, her heels clicking against the pavement and her blue eyes wide.

"Oh, my," she whispered, kneeling by me. "Oh, my…"

I felt tears in my eyes, and I crouched over Riolu, all thoughts of trading him gone. This was _my _Pokemon, _my _birthday present, and _my _protector. I'd be smashed into a pulp right now if he hadn't stood in front of me, and even after I'd let him get stolen.

"Riolu?" I asked, and saw two tiny eyes flicker open, twin half-lidded rubies staring back at me.

"Rio," was the feeble reply. I looked up at Nurse Joy, who was pursing her lips.

"I'll be back," she told me, and then straightened and walked over purposefully to exchange a few words with the policeman. He looked at me, beginning to make his way over, and then she turned and set off at a brisk walk back toward the PokeCenter.

"Hey, kid." Despite the words, the officer's voice was surprisingly gentle. "Is that your Pokemon?"

"Mm-hmm," I sniffled, wiping my nose on my shirtsleeve and looking back down at Riolu. _My Riolu. _

"The one that was stolen?"

"Yes. Along with my backpack." I gestured toward the thief, and the officer nodded.

"Let me go and get that for you." He walked over, grabbing my dark blue-and-green pack with everything I needed inside, and then came back to me and put it in my hands. "You're a brave kid, you know that? First time away from home?"

"Yes-yes sir." I remembered the respectful replies my parents were always trying to get me to say, and I figured that now was the appropriate time for them.

"Well, you're going to be a good trainer. I can tell just by looking at you, and you've got the most loyal Pokemon I think I've ever seen." He looked up at a crowd of Chansey coming toward us with a stretcher, and nodded politely at Nurse Joy. "Well, good luck on your journey." With that he turned and walked back toward the thief, and Riolu was lifted carefully onto the stretcher.

I followed the Chansey back to the Pokemon Center, and then sat down in front of the row of phones, waiting for my Pokemon.

**x.X.x**

**OMG O_o**

**Annnd the chapters just get longer...hehe...**

**Riolu used Quick Attack and Endure, in case anyone wanted to know.**

**Oh, and I would be more descriptive (like using words other than "nice" to describe things), but this is from a ten-year-old's perspective, so it just sounds weird when I read it. **

**Sooo...yeah. Read and review, if you please! (and updates will probably start to slow down around chapter ten. That's what usually happens to me, anyway: that's around the time I start getting writer's block every five pages XD)**

**Thanks!  
**


	4. You're a Zombie? A Flying Zombie?

**Hola, everybody! I'm really, really pleased, by the way, at all the amazing reviews. You people truly rock ;)**

**Ugh, I have WAY too many tabs up right now. I've got YouTube, a bunch of FFNet stories that I need to read, a bajillion tabs with Pokemon walkthroughs and specific routes and Gyms, and I even have my walkthrough book next to me. These stories take a heckuva lot of effort XDDD**

**Nonsense chapter, but I think it explains a lot ;)**

**Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon...um...there would be a customize-your-character option!**

**x.X.x  
**

It took a day. Twenty four hours of fidgeting, checking my cell phone for the time, fidgeting some more, getting up to go for a walk, returning to the PokeCenter, fidgeting, trying to get to sleep, failing, pacing around Jubilife, people-watching, and fidgeting. But finally, at seven o'clock in the morning a day later, Nurse Joy came out to knock on my door.

"Your little Riolu is strong enough to go out, but no intense battles for a couple of days," she informed me with a warm smile, chuckling as I practically shoved past her and dashed into the waiting room. "This way!" I turned around and followed the nurse and her Chansey partner into the back room, beaming when I saw Riolu. He was hooked up to a steadily beeping machine, and as soon as he saw me he let out a, "Rio!" of delight. Nurse Joy gently unattached him from the machine, and he hopped down off the bed and ran toward me. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I knelt and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into the fur on the top of his head. "Rio! Rio-lu!" he chirped, pulling away. I straightened up, smiling down at my Pokemon, and turned to Nurse Joy.

"Um…" I didn't know what to say for a moment, and then gave up on trying to look mature and darted in to hug her. "Thank you!"

She laughed, returning the gesture, and gave an amused "Oh!" of surprise when Riolu followed my lead and wrapped his arms around her shin, restricted from giving a proper hug by his height. I beamed, stepping back, and then nodded at my Pokemon. Nurse Joy smiled affectionately, mussing my hair and scratching Riolu behind the ears. "You two be safe, now. Off to Oreburgh?" she inquired, chuckling as he closed his eyes and gave a little sigh of contentment.

"Yep!" I said cheerfully. "I'm going to get my first Gym badge there, and then I'll be on my way to being the best trainer ever!"

"I'm sure you will. That's a rock-type Gym, you know. Your Riolu has an advantage."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm! So you'll have it pretty easy on your first Gym: that's good!"

"Awesome!" I turned to Riolu, grinning, and said, "We're going to kick butt!" He nodded and pumped his fist in the air.

"Rio-_lu_!"

Nurse Joy laughed, walking us both out, and waved as we were departing from Jubilife.

"Have fun! Be safe!" she called, and I nodded.

"Bye! Thank you!" Then she disappeared back into the Pokemon Center, and I looked down at my Pokemon. "Ready to go?" I asked, and his head bobbed happily. "Okay, to Oreburgh!"

He walked next to me as we made our way to Route 203, according to the map that I had stashed in my backpack at the last minute. I was grateful for it now, because without it I would have had no idea where we were off to. I talked absently to Riolu as we traveled, telling him about my life, my love of pancakes, his daring rescue, and anything else that came to mind. He listened happily, swinging his arms, and looked around at the scenery and the trail we were traversing. "You know," I said, glancing at the map again, and my Pokemon looked over with his head tilted to the side as he listened. "I've never actually battled before. I've seen people at school battle, so I kind of know how, but I don't even know what your moves are or what they do. So if we were attacked by…a Bidoof or something, I would just have to rely on you, which I suppose I could do in the wild. But what about trainer battles?" I knew he couldn't answer the question, so I kept talking. "I mean, I think I'd sound like a pretty bad trainer if I just said something like, 'Riolu, attack!' And, you know, if we're going to be the best team ever, we've gotta do more than that…" Riolu's ears twitched as he nodded, and his lips pulled back in a toothy smile.

"Rio riolu!" he said confidently, stopping in his tracks. I followed suit, halting, and watched curiously as he made the gesture to wait. My Pokemon turned around, looking at a tree near us, and then glanced over his shoulder to make sure I was watching. My brow creased in confusion, which cleared as Riolu suddenly darted forward and kicked the tree, zipping back to where he was before in a move that I had seen him do with Nidorino. He cocked his head, asking, "Rio?" as he gestured to the tree that he had just attacked, and I shrugged.

"Can I call that Quick Attack?" I asked, and the biggest smile I had ever seen stretched across his face.

"Rio-_lu_!" he cheered, nodding vehemently. Then he turned around again, looked over his shoulder to get my attention, and finally hunched his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut in another move that he had used against the thief's Pokemon. I stroked my chin, wrinkling my nose in concentration, and said, "Mom once had a Pokemon that could do that. It lets you stay alive through any attack, right?" At a nod of assent, I clicked my tongue thoughtfully. "I think she called it 'Endure.' Would that work?"

"Riolu!" He beamed, and I nodded.

"Okay! So we've got Endure and Quick Attack. Anything else?"

"Rio…" My Pokemon sounded like he was thinking, and finally his eyes lit up. "Rio-lu!" He pointed to the tree, and then raised his arms above his head like a zombie in a scary movie and pretended to glide around while making a scary, "Riooooo…" sound. I cocked my head, asking, "Huh?"

"Riooo…rioooluuu…"

"Are you…a zombie?" I asked, thoroughly dumbfounded. He shook his head and kept "gliding," still making the echoing call like the ones I had heard in movies late at night.

"Rioooo…luuuu…." He stopped and glanced at me helplessly, and I asked slowly, "You're…a flying zombie?" Riolu shook his head again, blowing out his lips in a raspberry. I giggled, and then straightened and kept guessing. "Are you a Pokemon?"

"Riolu!" At this, he nodded happily, and then kept swaying and gliding. "Riooo…"

"A flying-type?" He shook his head, dog-ears swinging. "A dragon-type?"

"Rioooluuu…"

"A…a ghost-type?"

"Riolu! Rio-_lu_!" He hopped up and down, beaming, and then backed up as if switching places with himself. Then his eyes darted to me and back to the tree, and ran forward to perform a newly-dubbed Quick Attack. Then, glancing at me again, he bounded forward and started pretending to be a ghost, walking around and seemingly not affected by whatever the "first" Riolu had just done.

"Okay, I know normal-type moves don't work against ghosts. That's what Quick Attack is, right?" I asked, and Riolu nodded slowly. He turned around again, now simply staring at the tree, and then nodded at me before bouncing up to be a ghost again. "Um…you…stare at a…ghost-type?" I guessed hesitantly, and he shook his head.

"Rio!" He went back to his first position, staring at the imaginary ghost, and then lashed out with a Quick Attack. Immediately after, my Pokemon pretended to be the ghost again ("Riooooluuu…") and executed a dramatic fall, obviously impacted by the normal-type attack.

"So…" I began, and Riolu plopped down cross-legged on the ground as he watched my lips move. "You stare at a ghost-type…then you can use Quick Attack on them?"

"Rio-lu!" he agreed cheerfully, nodding.

"Okay…I could call that…Move Work?" He stuck his tongue out at the name, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. Um…Ghost-Weakness?"

"Ri_o_," Riolu said, pretending to gag again.

"Quit being dramatic." My parents had said that to me often enough. "How about…Ghost Sight?" I suggested. My Pokemon shrugged, shaking his head slightly. "Future…Sight?" I asked, and his shoulders again moved up and then down. "Or maybe…Foresight?"

"Rio! Riolu!" At this last name he looked up, his head bobbing, and I beamed.

"Okay, then! Foresight it is! Any other moves?" Riolu shook his head, and I nodded, reaching out a hand to help him up. He gleefully took it, skipping ahead of me, and I giggled. "Save your energy! We might have to beat a few trainers later!" I called, and was answered by a faint, "Rio-lu!" I beamed, chuckling as I heard an abrupt rustle in the trees above me and then saw a tiny head poke out of the leaves and wave. I waved back, and was cheerfully answered with, "Rioluuuu!"

Maybe a fighting-type wasn't so bad after all.

We kept walking, my Pokemon swinging around in the trees like a Mankey and popping into view every now and then to wave at me. I would always giggle and wave back, my affection for my new partner slowly growing, and after a little while I got out a granola bar to eat. Almost immediately, Riolu climbed out of the trees and crawled up to sit on my shoulder, clinging to my neck and shifting as he leaned forward to sniff the granola bar.

"Want some?" I asked, offering it. He wrinkled his nose, and then shrugged and took a huge bite, stealing at least half of the whole bar. "Hey!" I exclaimed accusingly, closing my eyes and sticking my tongue out as he sprayed crumbs, saying through a mouthful of food, "Riolu?"

"You don't have very good manners."

"Rio. Rio-_lu_!"

"Oh, fine. Just no more for you, 'kay?"

"Rio! Rio rio rio! Rio-_luu!_"

"That's not very nice-hey! Ow! That hurts, you meanie!"

"Rio!"

"Well, I _was _going to give you some more, but not now that you've gone and pulled my hair out!"

"Riolu!"

"Nope! Not a chance!"

"Rioooooo!"

"Don't try to scare me! I'm not afraid of you, even when you're pretending to be a ghost!"

"Rio-_lu_."

"Yeah, yeah. Get your own food." But I knew it was a battle lost, even as he folded his arms across his chest and let out the biggest raspberry I had ever heard. I burst into laughter, beaming and halting on the trail. "Alright, fine." I handed him the rest of the granola bar, and Riolu hopped off my shoulder and walked next to me, munching happily as we continued up Route 203.

**x.X.x**

**Tada!**

**Yes, I know about the dashes. Just bear with me, if ya please ;)**

**And I have definitely listened to all of your reviews about Celeste getting homesick. Believe me, they have not gone unanswered ^^**

**By the way, I have a question for un-biased ears:**

**Am I getting into their relationship too fast? Because I'm going off of what *I* would do in this situation, providing that I had my heart set on a fire-type and got a Riolu instead, but what do YOU think? Is Celeste warming up to Riolu too quickly? And if she is, what do you think I could do to fix it?**

**Sorry about sounding like a commercial or something...one of those, "Can they reach the burning pancakes in time? Or will their breakfast burn? And can Drew and Lucy ever find true love?" kind of summary-things XDD**

**Thanks a ton!  
**


	5. You Have Been Challenged!

**Heya! Not much to say about this one, except for the fact that it's another sorta-nonsense chapter. I tried to tone down their happy-moments a little bit (in the middle-end-ish part mostly), but I'm not sure how well it turned out.**

**So...yeah =D**

**Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, and if I did, I would have gotten to fight on LANCE'S side in the Dragon's Den, not my stinking RIVAL'S. Meh.**

**x.X.x  
**

After he had finished his granola bar, he handed me the wrapper and then scuttled up into the trees again. But it wasn't long before I heard an alarming clacking sound, and then a high-pitched, "Rio!" of surprise. I looked up, jumping back as Riolu dashed straight back down the tree-trunk and ran for it, an angry, spider-like Pokemon behind him. The bright scarlet pincers on its head snapped threateningly, though it couldn't have been taller than my knee. Stunted, stubby yellow legs carried it surprisingly fast toward my Riolu, and a short horn glinted menacingly above its eyes. My Pokemon was making a mad dash up the nearest tree, but his pursuer only followed him until he leapt out of the branches and crouched on the ground as it followed him again.

I dropped my backpack, fumbling it and digging through its contents to see if I had mysteriously obtained any Pokeballs. I _knew _I should have stocked up in Jubilife!

Looking up, I saw Riolu cornered against the tree, and I stood up and called, "Try Quick Attack!" He glanced over, and then abruptly nodded and chirped, "Rio!" as he zipped forward and sent the other Pokemon reeling with a hard punch.

"Nice job!" I encouraged. "Do it again!" Before his opponent could recover, Riolu darted in again and kicked, dancing out of the way as the spider-like creature lunged for him with its horn now spewing poison. I shuddered, kicking myself for not getting anything like antidotes at the PokeMart, and said, "Quick Attack!" Riolu dipped his head, now fitting in a combination of a kick and a punch in the attack, but couldn't get out of the way in time to dodge the silk thread now being shot from the other Pokemon's mouth. He struggled, trying to get the sticky thread off, and only just barely avoided the next attack: another poisoned barb.

"Rio-_lu!_" Riolu spat angrily, peeling the silk off of his body.

"Try another Quick Attack, while its not expecting it!" I suggested, moving forward a little bit to see the battle better. My Pokemon nodded, and then bounded forward and aimed a punch to his adversary's head. At that, the wild Pokemon swayed and fell, fainting.

I stood there for a moment, staring at it, and then suddenly beamed and let out a whoop. "We did it, Riolu!" I exclaimed, jumping into the air. Our first battle, won! "We did it! We kicked that thing's spidery butt! Yeah!"

"Rio! Riolu riolu!" my Pokemon cheered, punching empty space. "Rio_-lu_!" He stuck his tongue out at the other, dancing around, and then ran up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I beamed, holding out my hand for a high-five, which was eagerly met with a tiny black hand.

"All right! Nice job, partner!" I said with a giggle, and beamed when his scarlet eyes shone. A wide smile spread on his face, and he skipped forward and twirled in the air, calling in a singsong voice, "Riolu! Rio! Riolu rio!"

I chuckled, and continued along the route. After around ten more minutes, though, I spun around at a loud voice.

"Trainer!"

My brow creased, and I looked around for the source. Riolu swung out of the trees and landed lightly next to me, asking, "Rio?"

"Dunno…" I answered, tilting my head to the side.

"I challenge you to a trainer battle!" There was the voice again.

"Yeah, but where are you?" I called back, sweeping my gaze around me. My Pokemon did the same.

"Right here!" At that, a boy about my age, maybe older, stepped out of the trees with a Pokeball in his hand. "My name's Michael, and I officially challenge you!"

"Rio-_lu_!" Riolu answered, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at me. I nodded, a slow smile spreading across my face. If we could do this as easily as we beat that spider-Pokemon, then this guy was in trouble.

"Alright. I accept!" I answered, my voice raising in excitement, and the boy nodded.

"Bidoof, go!" he yelled suddenly, hurling a Pokeball towards me.

"Quick Attack," I told Riolu as the mouse-like Pokemon straightened up. "And keep it up until we wear it down."

"Rio!" Riolu said with a grin, darting forward and taking the Bidoof by surprise. He slowly began to gain the upper hand, attacking again and again and taking only minimal damage from the other Pokemon's tackling and growl. Bidoof soon fainted, and again I gave Riolu a high five. Michael let out a low, "Hmph!" and then chucked another Pokeball with, as I found out, a Zubat inside. The blue, winged Pokemon gave itself a shake, oversized ears twitching, and let out a few clicking noises until it had located Riolu.

"Quick Attack again," I whispered, and he nodded, zipping around a little bit to confuse the bat-like Pokemon and finally lashing out to attack. It reeled, and then Michael yelled, "Leech Life!" The Zubat spun around, still clicking to find Riolu, and sucked in a huge breath. Riolu stumbled, little particles floating from him, and then growled and stood back up, performing Quick Attack again.

"Supersonic!" Michael cried, leaping forward, and I scoffed.

"We're going to kick your butt!" I told him smugly, and he laughed.

"We'll see, brat!"

Riolu bared his teeth, clearly not liking the insult to me, and then whipped around at the Supersonic attack. I saw his eyes glaze over, and my moment of bravado faded. Confusion was something I had been told to keep away from at all costs, and I knew why. If Riolu was confused, he might not have been able to attack, and might instead hurt himself. There went our victory.

"Darn! Darn darn darn!" I muttered, as always wishing I knew better words. "Darn it! Poopie darn it darn poopie!" I sighed, muttering to myself, and called, "Riolu, Quick Attack!" He turned toward me, and under my breath I chanted, "Please, please, please, please, please…"

"Rio…?" Riolu asked slowly.

"Quick Attack! Attack the Zubat! The Zubat, Riolu, Quick Attack!" I said, leaning forward. "C'mon, I know you can hear me…"

"Rio…lu…" He swayed, and then turned and tottered toward the bat-Pokemon.

"Quick Attack!" I yelled, and Riolu turned back to me.

"Rio?" he asked, and then ran toward a nearby tree.

"No!" I groaned, and Michael laughed.

"And you thought you were going to win!" he taunted.

"Watch me!" I answered furiously. "Come on, Riolu! Attack the Zubat!" My Pokemon shook himself, and then blearily looked around. I sighed in relief: he seemed to have snapped out of it. "Quick Attack!" I called again, and he nodded.

"Rio-lu!" he chirped, leaping through the air to lash out at the Zubat. I cheered when it went down, giving my partner a high-five and so relieved. He beamed, crawling onto my shoulder, and Michael huffed.

"Fine," he muttered, handing over a good amount of coins. "Take this, and good battle." Struck by the sudden kindness and "good sportsmanship," as Mom would have put it, I shook his outstretched hand and accepted the money.

"Th-thank you," I stuttered, and Michael gave a sudden grin.

"Newbie, aren't you? Never won a battle?" he asked wryly, and I shrugged.

"This was my first."

"Then good job. Ya definitely deserve the money. See you 'round!" With that he disappeared into the trees again, and I exchanged a glance with Riolu after a moment.

"…Rio?" he asked, and I shrugged and laughed.

"I don't know, either, but look!" I held up the coins, and then dropped them into the front pocket of my back pack. "Our first trainer battle!"

"Rio-lu!" my Pokemon agreed, beaming.

"Okay, ready to keep going?"

"Rio rio!"

"Let's go, then!"

We kept walking, challenged to one more trainer battle before I realized that I could hide from them if need be or not accept their challenge-and that Riolu was getting weak and tired. Nurse Joy had told me not to have any intense battles for a few days, and I was pretty sure all of these battles in a row qualified as "intense." So Riolu and I hid in the bushes and the trees until the trainer had passed, creeping back onto the trail when they were out of view.

By the time the sun had begun to set, Oreburgh Gate-the cave that separated Route 203 from Oreburgh City-was in sight. But Riolu had long retired to my shoulder, and I was starting to get tired from walking so far. We had stopped to rest many times throughout the day, but that didn't keep my feet from aching. Besides, my Pokemon was snoozing in my hair, perched on my shoulder, and I doubted that he would have the energy to fight if we were attacked inside the cavern.

So I veered into the trees and set up camp just off the trail, unrolling my sleeping bag and sitting cross-legged on it while I tried to light a fire with my matches. Riolu stirred sleepily, climbing down from my shoulder to rest more comfortably in my lap, and nestled into my stomach. I shifted into a better position to accommodate him, finally sparking a fire, and decided not to use my precious pancake batter. I did, however, take my cell phone out and fiddle with it, finally finding the camera and taking a picture of my sleeping Pokemon and I, lit by the fire. Then I stowed the little device back in my backpack and got out a bag of chips and some Pokemon food, along with a cold sandwich and a couple of brownies. I split the first one, handing half to Riolu, whose nose twitched as he sat up and wolfed it down. I giggled, munching on my sandwich, and opened the Pokemon food for him as well.

After we had eaten, I poked the fire a little and then curled up in my sleeping bag, smiling as I remembered the day. First-ever battle, first trainer battle, and now there was money jingling in my backpack. Not a bad day at all.

* * *

Morning sunlight streamed through the trees, filtering through in watery pools of light on the ground. I blinked, rolling over, and propped myself up on my elbows, catching sight of Riolu swinging around in the trees above me. He saw me looking at him and waved cheerfully. "Rio-lu!" my Pokemon called, dropping to the ground and attempting to drag me out of my makeshift cocoon. I giggled, allowing myself to be rolled onto the ground, and then got up and squatted by the sleeping bag and began to roll it up. Then I plopped down, sitting on top of it to form a cushion between me and the ground, and reached in my backpack for breakfast.

"I think we have some dried fruit, more Pokemon food, another sandwich, and enough brownies to maybe get us to the Elite Four. Good?" I asked, and Riolu grinned his assent. I nodded and opened his breakfast, eating as I stuffed my sleeping bag into my pack and shouldering it, getting up and beginning to walk and chew at the same time. "You know," I said through a mouthful of sandwich as my partner and I walked toward Oreburgh Gate. "I'm usually supposed to stay at the table when I eat, but I guess we don't have to do that. We _are _a team now, after all, on our way to our first Gym badge. So I don't think we need to follow that rule; do you?"

"Rio!" Riolu agreed, beaming with Pokemon food stuck in his little teeth. I giggled again.

"You've got food showing," I told him, chuckling, and he stuck his tongue up to clean his mouth. "Okay, you're clean now!"

"Rio-lu!"

"Yup. But at least you don't have braces, like Lucy does. She gets food stuck in her teeth _all the time_. It's funny, too!"

"Rio rio!"

I beamed, and then looked up and halted at the entrance to the gate.

"Ready to go?" I asked my Pokemon, who nodded enthusiastically.

"Riolu!"

"Okey dokey, let's head to Oreburgh! Race you!" I took off, running into the cavern with Riolu close behind, but he soon overtook me and darted easily to the outside entrance, rushing past any trainers and outrunning any wild Pokemon. Then, as I caught up and caught my breath, all too soon, we were in Oreburgh.

**x.X.x**

**About page breaks, mostly I just let FFNet turn them into paragraphs, but sometimes-if the page break is rather important-I'll do a line. Just to keep it from getting confusing. **

**So I toned it down a little, but I don't want Celeste to just suddenly turn all cold and distant towards Riolu. And, just so no one thinks she's turning into a Sue, I'm planning on having all the won battles in this chapter to give her a little bit of a big head, so that when she challenges the Gym leader, things go pretty far downhill...despite the type advantage. **

**Other than that, suggestions or thoughts on the story or even OCs would be welcome. Everything but flames ;)  
**


	6. I'M INVINCIBLE! You're a loony

**Annnnd it's another update! **

**Thanks to some discouraging stuff, it was a teensy bit hard to get started for this chapter, but I managed. Of course, most of the ingenious ideas in here came from suggestions from reviewers/readers, so I take no credit XDDD**

**And she'll get the HM Rock Smash later, believes meh =D**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon...umm...girl characters would be allowed to wear BACKPACKS instead of stereotypical PURSE-THINGS.  
**

**x.X.x  
**

There really wasn't much to do, in my eyes, but challenge the Gym. Sure, I _could _go and train a little bit or talk to some people walking around (including a girl that was running around in her running shoes and looking a little like she needed to tighten a few screws upstairs), but I was quite confident in my Riolu's ability and figured that I could talk to Crazy-Girl later. Then maybe I'd get a little much-needed respect, when I had my first Gym badge.

"Ready to go?" I asked Riolu, who grinned.

"Rio!" he chirped, and I nodded, absently bringing my fingers up to my teeth to gnaw on my nails as we walked towards the Pokemon Center: because even I wasn't so stupid as to enter a Gym without healing up. I wasn't nervous, but nail-biting was something I had become accustomed to as a habit when I was bored, waiting, or just not doing anything else. Besides, I never used my nails anyway, and I hated having to trim them; so biting them was the optimal solution.

This time, though, I was stopped at a tiny paw on my wrist. I looked down in confusion as Riolu deliberately took my hand away from my mouth and put it down by my side, holding it for a moment and keeping it there, eyes riveted on my forearm, before withdrawing his arms and resuming walking. For a moment I stared down at him, and then shrugged and starting chewing on my fingernails again.

Almost immediately there was a slight pressure on my wrist again, and I tilted my head to the side as my Pokemon's brow furrowed in frustration, once more pulling my hand away and dropping it to my side.

"What're you doing?" I asked, a little indignantly.

"Riolu," he answered promptly, folding his arms across his chest. Still looking at him in bewilderment, I slowly raised my hand again. "Rio-_lu_!" he exclaimed, jumping up to pull it back down.

"Hey-quit it!" I objected, yanking my hand away. "I can chew my nails if I want to, can't I?"

"Rio." That was a pretty obvious "no."

"Well, _you're _not my mom, so _you _can't tell me what to do!"

"Riolu!"

"Oh, yeah? Watch me!" I pulled away from my Pokemon and deliberately started ripping the too-long, white tips of my nails off with my teeth, sticking my tongue out at Riolu, who gave a quick screech and clambered onto my shoulders to pull my hand away. "Stop it!" I shook him off, still biting my nails: though this time it was more a show of rebellion than anything purposeful.

"Rio-lu!" he wailed, prying my fingers away.

"Oh, dear."

I looked up quickly, my hand still by my mouth and my Pokemon halfheartedly tugging on it, clinging upside-down to my elbow. An exact copy of Nurse Joy was standing behind the counter, one hand covering her own mouth in surprise. "Are you two all right?" she asked, beginning to step forward. The Chansey at her side waddled toward us, beaming, and I sheepishly set Riolu down.

"Um…yeah…we're fine," I muttered, nodding.

"What's the problem?" My brow creased as she came closer, and I cocked my head. She was acting like she didn't know me!

"Are you…Nurse Joy?" I asked in confusion, and she chuckled and nodded.

"That's me!"

"But…in Jubilife…don't you remember me?"

"Oh! You must have met my sister, Nurse Joy!"

Now thoroughly befuddled, I could only shrug and mutter, "Isn't that…you?"

"Well, no! I'm a twin, you see!" She giggled again, and I took a step back.

"You're a loony…" I said under my breath.

"Rio rio…" Anger forgotten for a moment, Riolu nodded his agreement.

"So…do you have the same name or something?" I asked, wondering what masochistic parent would give two twins the same name.

"Well, of course not! That's our last name!" she explained, still beaming. I blinked.

"Okay…"

"Now, what was the problem?" She seemed to be bouncing between emotions so fast I didn't even try to keep up, deciding instead to shrug and mumble, "Nothing."

"If you say so. But that Riolu looks pretty mad, huh?"

"No he doesn't…" But I looked over, narrowing my eyes at my Pokemon, who sniffed and turned away, folding his arms across his chest.

"So what happened?" She bent halfway over, bracing her hands against her knees and looking at me in that annoying grown-up, _"You can tell me, sweetie!" _way. I copied my Pokemon's motions without really meaning to, crossing my arms on my chest and turning halfway away from her, and growled when she chuckled. "Well, all right, then. But come to me if you want to say anything else, okay? Shall I heal up your little Riolu?"

"Yeah," I muttered, jerking my head. She smiled warmly and ushered my Pokemon into the back, and I huffed and sat down in a chair as I waited. Within ten minutes Riolu was walking back out, though he turned pointedly away from me and stubbornly ignored me as we walked to the Gym. "Well, _fine_," I told him, carrying on a monologue. "If _you_ want to beat the Gym angry and not get to share in celebrating our first Gym badge, you can just _be that way_!" I huffed again and folded my arms across my chest, turning away from him as well and bringing my hand up to bite my nails some more.

"Rio!" I heard a sudden, indignant chirp, and I turned in time to have my arm yanked away from my mouth.

"Hey! Would you quit that?" I asked angrily. "What's wrong with biting my nails?"

"Rio-_lu_!"

"Be quiet, you meaniebutt! I'll bite my nails all I want, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Rio rio rio-lu!"

"Hmph."

So it was in bad tempers and low spirits that we entered the Oreburgh Gym, weaving up stairs and across a bridge to sneak past the two trainers before Roark. I had learned his name from one of the locals as I had been waiting for Riolu to come back from the Pokemon Center, along with the fact that he didn't usually like to wait for trainers inside his Gym: instead, he would go down to the mine as opposed to twiddling his thumbs in one room all day.

I came up to him with my Riolu close behind, and he smiled.

"Welcome! This is the Oreburgh Pokemon Gym, and I'm Roark, the Gym Leader!" he said warmly, and I shook his outstretched hand and offered my name in return as the Gym leader went on. "I'm but one Trainer who decided to walk proudly with Rock-type Pokemon! As the Gym Leader, I need to see your potential as a trainer. And I'll need to see the toughness of the Pokemon that battle with you!" I nodded, suddenly nervous as I eyed the three Pokeballs on his belt. If Riolu was angry with me, would he listen when I told him what moves to use? And how was I supposed to beat three rock-type with one fighting and normal type? One _angry _fighting and normal type?

I was jerked back to reality by the leader's voice. "So, are you ready?" he asked, and I dipped my head again. No, I'm not ready. No no no no no no _no_. I looked at Riolu, who again turned away, and made no attempt to stop me as I began to chew on my nails: though this time it was out of nervousness. I shot a nervous smile at Roark, who nodded, and then sent a Pokeball spinning out into the center of the Gym. "Geodude, go!" he called, and I glanced hopefully down at Riolu.

"Ready to battle?" I asked, and my Pokemon blew a raspberry and turned away. "Don't do that, Riolu. You know as well as I do that we've gotta win this, so _you _don't need to be all hissy and mean right now."

"Rio-_lu_." I could easily translate that: yes I _do._ I looked up, and leapt back as Geodude sent a shower of tiny pebbles shooting toward us at a frighteningly high speed. Riolu stepped out of the way, and then promptly began padding toward the exit.

"Riolu! Where are you going?" I called, ducking out of another shower of pebbles. I began to run toward him, chased by the spherical, boulder-like Pokemon Roark had called Geodude, and skidded in front of my partner, who turned his nose up and walked around me. But another well-placed attack from Geodude sent a cascade of tiny rocks raining down on Riolu, who stopped and slowly turned around with fire in his eyes. The look he gave me said, _"I'm not doing this for you,"_ but I was too bewildered at this new attack to notice.

My Pokemon bared his teeth and crouched, shooting forward and slamming into Geodude, blindly scrabbling, punching, and kicking its stone body. It didn't do much, though, and another punch from Geodude sent Riolu flying. After that came yet another shower of pebbles, and then, as suddenly as it had started, the battle ended and my Pokemon was down and out.

"Hey!" I yelled, running toward him, my feet crunching on shards of rock. "What'd you do?" I asked Roark, who smiled grimly and withdrew Geodude.

"Never been beaten before?" he asked gently, and my brow furrowed. "Your Pokemon is unconscious, which means that it can't battle any more. So I've just won this match."

"Oh." I must have looked pretty disappointed, because he gave another smile, this one more encouraging than the last, and said, "Well, go and train some more. Make your Riolu a little happier, too. Treat it well, and you have a relationship that will last a lifetime."

"Okay." I got up, hefting Riolu in my arms and awkwardly putting him over my shoulder, not necessarily knowing how to train. I didn't know any trainers around, and wasn't I supposed to _avoid _wild Pokemon? But I nodded and acted like I understood, walking slowly back out to the Pokemon Center and trying not to punch the first two snickering trainers that I had avoided. I doubt I could have managed it anyway, what with my Pokemon slung over my shoulder.

As I exited the Gym, though, I heard a light, cheerful voice with a hint of sarcasm greeting me. "So I take it you just got your butt kicked by Roark?" I turned around, seeing a smirking girl a little older than me, black hair cut to her shoulders in a style that Mom would have described as, "sorely in need of a haircut."

"That's none of _your _business," I told her, resisting the impulse to stick my tongue out. Mom always said it made me look like a little kid, and that was certainly _not _what I wanted to look like right now.

"Alright, alright, I'm just wondering!" Her voice was serious, but her eyes were still dancing as she teased me.

"Well, it's still none of your business! I made a mistake, that's all."

"A mistake to challenge him before you were trained?

"No!" I was getting angry now. I didn't like this girl, witty and infuriating. "My Riolu was just mad at me, so he didn't listen."

"You're sure that's just because he was mad?"

"Of course I'm sure! Now I'm going to the Pokemon Center to wake him up, apologize, and then we'll try again!" I turned on my heel and stalked away, but the girl kept up with me easily, talking.

"Well, Roark's a pretty powerful Gym leader. So, even though you have the type-advantage, he'd still kick your butt if you weren't at a good level."

"I _am _at a good level!"

"What moves does your Riolu know?"

"Quick Attack, Endure, and Foresight." I saw her thinking, and I wondered absently if what _I _called Riolu's moves was different than what this girl did. But, evidently, she figured it out, because she shrugged.

"You don't even have a full arsenal, though."

"A full…what?" My brow creased, not liking the fact that she knew more than me. Then again, I hadn't even known what fainting was until ten minutes ago.

"Arsenal. A Pokemon can remember up to four moves, and yours only knows three," she explained, using hand motions as she talked. "So you need one more before you have a full arsenal, and even then they might not be very good moves."

"They're awesome moves! They're the best moves ever!" I said defensively. "And Riolu used another one that I didn't recognize in the Gym!"

"Which one was that?"

"Well…I don't know." I stared up at her, silently daring her to laugh at me, but she stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, the next move that I can think of that most Riolu learn is called Counter. It's where they take damage, and then strike back with double the damage taken."

"That's what it looked like…" I said slowly, but really I wasn't sure. Still, the girl nodded.

"So you _do _have a full arsenal. Good. That should make it much easier to train rather than just using Quick Attack as an offensive move," she answered, and I tilted my head to one side.

"Offensive?"

"Offensive. It means attacking, not just for status effects or anything," she explained, nodding.

"You use a lot of big words," I told her frankly, and the girl chuckled.

"Or you use a lot of little ones in comparison. I'm Leah, by the way."

"I'm Celeste."

"Well, nice to meet you. We should probably take this Riolu to the Pokemon Center now, don'tcha think?"

"Um…yeah, okay."

"Alrighty, then! I'll carry him." She reached down and lifted Riolu into her arms, chattering amiably as we trekked up to the PokeCenter and greeting Nurse Joy when we arrived (I still hadn't figured out the riddle of the two Joys, but Leah seemed perfectly comfortable with it). Then, as we were waiting for Riolu in the lobby, she reclined in her chair and asked me, "You need to train, right?"

"Yeah…" I answered slowly.

"Well, how would you like a training partner?"

"Training partner?" I echoed, tilting my head to one side. Leah nodded.

"Yep. Like, I help you train by battling with your Pokemon, and you help me train by doing the same thing! How's that sound?" she inquired, and I thought about it for a moment. Finally, I reached a decision.

"Okay."

**x.X.x.**

**ZOMG MONTY PYTHON REFERENCE! Keheheheheheh...**

**That was liek, the BEST part of the movie. Srsly.**

**Leah, by the way, belongs to kurochanwithwings (I wish I knew how to hyperlink stuff...). Did I get everything right? You didn't give a physical description that I saw, so I just gave her brown hair. Tell me if you'd like somefink different ;)**

**By the way, how did the emotion-progression and character-development go over? Was that okay with you guys?**

**Thanks!  
**


	7. Oh

**Hi! (Isn't this like, the best chapter name EVER? Yeah, I thought so XD)  
**

**So big edit: Leah actually has black hair and gray/silver eyes. Sooo...I'll probably fix that in the last chapter, but for now just think of it as a typo ^^;**

**So here's the training chapter! Yeah!**

**...Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon...OH! YOU COULD CHOOSE YOUR STARTER OUT OF MORE THAN JUST THREE!**

**x.X.x  
**

Leah led me back to Route 203, telling me to deliberately walk in the wild grass and ignoring the disbelieving stare I gave her.

"Well, go on!" she prompted, giving me a little shove forward. I resisted.

"How do you know Riolu will want to fight?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"You said you were going to apologize, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah…but why can't we just fight with you?"

"Because your Pokemon is weaker than mine. I might accidentally make Riolu faint."

"Riolu is _not _weak!" I objected hotly, despite my annoyance at him. No Pokemon of _mine _was weak!

"Then prove it!" There was a small smirk on Leah's face, knowing that she had me riled up, but I failed to notice or be affected by it as I let Riolu out of his Pokeball and charged headlong into the grass. Almost immediately, a Bidoof appeared, chattering angrily, and I called, "Riolu, use Quick Attack!"

Nothing happened. I looked behind me, seeing Riolu standing just outside the patch of waist-high grass, turning his face away with a disdainful sniff. "Riolu!" I exclaimed disbelievingly. "You've got to fight!"

"Rio!" he answered indignantly, his eyebrows lowered over his eyes. "Rio-lu!"

"C'mon, Riolu! We've got to train so that we can beat Roark!"

"Rio."

"Riolu, be nice! Don't do this to me!" I looked back, over my shoulder at the Bidoof, and then gave a small squeal and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the tackle. "Riolu!" I called, but he still turned away and plopped down cross-legged on the ground. I took off running as the Bidoof gave chase, diving out of the grass and skidding, belly-down, on the ground. Unwilling to go into the open, the wild Pokemon turned away, and I looked up angrily as Leah cracked up.

"That's some volleyball dive you've got there," she told me between laughs. "You could be a professional."

"Be quiet!" I snapped, unwilling to say "shut up" in case my phone had somehow called Mom and she was listening. I'd get my bootie whooped for sure. Besides, Riolu or Leah could always tell on me, and I wasn't risking that. So I tried to make my "Be quiet!" as menacing and scary as possible.

"All right, all right," Leah said, spreading her hands in a peace gesture. I was not appeased, however, and got up to dust my pants off while pointedly ignoring her. Then I looked at Riolu, who still had his back turned to me, hunched over with his arms folded across his chest. I walked up to my Pokemon, squatting next to him and waiting. Dad always said that the best way to help someone was to apologize, but how was I supposed to apologize if I didn't know what I had done that had made him so angry? I mean, sure, there was the nail-biting, but was _that _why he was acting like this?

"Riolu?" I asked finally, and he didn't look up. "What's wrong?"

"Rio." That, of course, held no answers.

"Was it…losing to the Gym?" I had heard that Pokemon got angry or bad-tempered when they lost, and had even experienced it with Flareon and Growlithe back home. But Riolu snorted and shook his head.

"Rio-_lu_." I was limited to yes-or-no questions, so I shrugged helplessly.

"Do you not want to train?" Another head-shake. "Well, what is it?"

"Riolu."

"Because I was biting my nails?" I inquired, my brow creasing, and he shrugged. So…halfway right. "Because I was mad at you?" No answer this time, except to hunch down further and turn slightly away from me. "Because I was mad at you…for stopping me from biting my nails?" This time, there was a tiny, "Rio," of assent.

"Oh." I sat back, resting on my haunches now instead of squatting, and put my chin in my hands. "Well…uh…I'm sorry…" I remembered that Riolu could read emotions, and my mind was drawn back to the first day I had gotten him. Mom had made me apologize, saying that my Pokemon would determine whether I meant it or not. I tried to make it sound meaningful, but I was kind of…halfhearted about the whole thing. He was being this mean because I had stopped him from stopping _me _from doing something _I _wanted to do?

"Riolu." I heard the inflection in his voice, and I didn't think he really believed me, but he stood anyway and prepared to fight.

"Ready?" Leah asked, and I nodded, wondering where her snide comments had gone. The Hoenn region, maybe? "Okay, you two try again."

Again I charged into the grass, this time surprising a Starly and sending it flying toward us. Not wanting to use Quick Attack over and over again, I commanded, "Riolu, use Counter!" It _was _a good offensive move, after all, like Leah had said. My Pokemon, looking slightly confused, obliged. Nothing happened.

"Rio…?" he asked slowly, and my brow creased.

"Huh? What happened?" I muttered to myself, and then shrugged and decided that it had just malfunctioned or something. "Try again!"

"Riolu…" my Pokemon said slowly, but shrugged and charged for Starly. Again nothing happened, and I rubbed the back of my neck.

"What's wrong?" I asked Riolu, who shook his head. "Okay…try Quick Attack, then." This one worked, and Starly reeled back in surprise. "Again!" I told Riolu, who nodded and used punches, kicks, and a combination of both until the Starly was defeated.

"You got lucky," Leah said when we walked back to her, though she was clearly laughing at us. "That was a low-level Starly."

"Why didn't the Counter work?" I asked her, confused, and she held back a snort. I felt my eyebrows lowering in anger, and I put my hands on my hips. Why was she laughing at me?

"Sorry, sorry," Leah apologized, smiling. "Well, see, Counter only works if your Pokemon has already taken damage. Then, Riolu would attack Starly to cause double the damage he took."

"Oh. So…it didn't work because Riolu was the first to attack?" My anger receded, to be replaced with surprise.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"…Oh." I sighed, blowing a raspberry. "Sorry, Riolu."

"Rio," he grinned, but it was more of a laughing-at-me type grin than a friendly one, and blew a raspberry as well. Leah burst out laughing.

"Does he always copy you?" she asked between snorts and giggles, and I shrugged, trying to ignore her chuckling.

"Only when I do that," I explained. "So how long before Riolu learns a move other than Quick Attack?"

"Well, that's up to him." She seemed to have recovered a little, and was now holding back the rest of her guffaws. "But the next move most Riolu learn is Force Palm. It might be awhile, though."

"Oh," I said for the third time. So I was stuck with Quick Attack for-what? Years? Months? _Decades_? Riolu, I noticed with a slight pang of frustration, noticed my disappointment with that emotion-reading skill of his (one that was quickly become a little frustrating), and turned away angrily.

Leah's voice interrupted me, gesturing back to the grass. "Ready to try again? You'll probably be stuck with using Quick Attack for the first couple minutes, and then once you've taken some damage you can use Counter." I shrugged, huffing, "Fine." I _knew _that already, so she didn't have to tell me. "Ready, Riolu?" I muttered, and he nodded with a low chirp. I walked into the tall grass without trying to be quiet as I usually did, and almost immediately another Bidoof appeared, chattering angrily. I backed up, saying, "Riolu, Quick Attack," as I halfheartedly tried to hide behind the stalks of grass, remembering the first Bidoof today charging me. Riolu nodded without any of his usual cheeriness, jogging forward and sending the Pokemon reeling with a well-placed smack, at my command repeating the move until his opponent attacked.

I glanced at Leah, who nodded, and then I gave the order. "Riolu, Counter!" So far, the only attack the Bidoof had been able to get in was a tackle, but it wasn't much of a problem, providing what Leah said was true. Riolu nodded and leapt toward the Pokemon, spinning around in the air and striking the Bidoof on the jaw with one foot as he did. As soon as he landed, he whipped back around with a punch, and the wild Pokemon staggered forward a few steps before swaying and collapsing into a heap on the ground. It was quite impressive, and a new move of his, but somehow I failed to be excited by it as I usually would have been. "Good job," I told my Pokemon, nodding. Riolu said nothing, glancing at my eyes accusingly and then looking back at Leah as she spoke.

"Well, nice job, you two." She gave a small smirk. "Now we get to keep that up until you at least learn Force Palm, and then you get to start battling _me_."

"You say that like I need to be scared," I answered defiantly, and she grinned.

"You should be." She turned, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to go stock up on a few potions and such. You two keep training, and I'll be right back." As soon as she was out of earshot, I put on my best mocking voice and muttered, "You _should _be." Then I turned huffily away, muttering, "C'mon, Riolu. I'm gonna show her."

**x.X.x**

**Uryu Ishida is officially THE most EPIC character in the HISTORY of Bleach. Srsly. He's like "WAPOW! I HAVE A SWORD! BUT WAIT! IT'S GOT REISHI ROTATING AROUND AT 3 MILLION CYCLES PER SECOND WHILE YOUR FLIMSY FEATHERS ONLY HAVE 1 MILLION! HA! SO IT'S LIKE A CHAINSAW! BUT WAIT AGAIN! IT'S ACTUALLY AN ARROW!"**

**Then he pwns the Arrancar whose name started with a C... *checks in Bleach* OH! IT'S CIRUCCI! Or something...**

**Okay, so now stuff about the story. I feel like I'm either going too fast forward with their relationship or too fast backward (as in they're either suddenly best friends or they suddenly hate each other). Opinions, anyone, anyone? Yes, you in the back!**

**Anyway, I know I'm forgetting something I wanted to say, but oh, well =D  
**


	8. Beanbag Chairs and Bunk Bed Brawls

**Hey thar. I'm sorry this took so long to update: I've had camp and stuff, and I'm soooo tired right now...**

**Tractor tires bring people together. Seriously. Who'da thunk it?**

**That's about it. Thanks to all my amazing readers, as always, and hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, you would know.**

**x.X.x  
**

After a half hour straight of battling, I was starting to get annoyed. How long did it take to buy a couple of potions? Besides, Riolu was starting to get tired, and both of us were on-edge from the constant need for adrenaline. Wild Pokemon jumping out of nowhere, a startlingly fast kick from my own Pokemon, the tense stances needed in battle (though I'd been told that you should be relaxed instead), the constant sweeping of the area for _more _wild Pokemon, and all the while checking to make sure Leah wasn't walking up so we didn't accidentally attack her. Although I might have anyway, and then pretended it was a mistake. Even if Riolu didn't listen to me, I had learned a little about punching from watching him. But then, of course, I might have to explain to my parents, so I pushed the thought from my mind.

"Riolu, use Quick Attack," I said absently, turning around to make sure Leah hadn't yet returned, and then turned back at an angry chirp. "What?" I asked irritably, glancing at my Pokemon. The Starly that he had been fighting was unconscious on the dirt from his last move, Counter, and apparently I had failed to notice when I had given him the instruction for his next one.

"Rio-_lu_," he growled, hands on his hips, and jerked his head at the bird.

"Well, excuse me. I'm distracted, that's all," I defended myself. "Besides, it could still be a little bit conscious."

"Riolu." I could easily translate that as, "No it couldn't," and saw from his face that he knew I was making excuses.

"Well, I'm sorry!" I answered hotly. "It's not _my _job to know everything about the battle _you're _in, and I'm a little bit busy looking for Leah!" Somewhere in my mind I felt that my so-called _excuses _were sounding more and more like excuses, and I might have blathered on for awhile longer just to prove my point (invalid as it was), had Leah not chosen that moment to show up and ask, "Why're you looking for me?"

"Oh," I said in surprise, whipping around. "Oh, um…no reason." She raised her eyebrows, but shrugged.

"Okay. How's the training coming?"

"Um…good. Still haven't learned Force Palm, though." In my peripheral vision, I saw a shocked expression flit across Riolu's face, quickly morphing to one of disbelieving fury, and he turned his back to us and folded his arms across his chest. Leah looked at him in concern, tilting her head to one side, and I quickly picked up the conversation again, inwardly sighing. I didn't want anyone to be mad, but it seemed that it couldn't be helped right now. "So do you think we're strong enough to fight you yet?" I asked, and Leah tore her gaze from my Pokemon.

"Not yet. First you'll definitely need Force Palm, and you'll need to be at least level twelve to fight me."

"Level…?" I'd never heard of levels before. Sure, I could tell the general concept by the name, and I was pretty sure Mom's Flareon had to be at least level one thousand, if the battles I'd seen were anything to judge by, but I had no idea what they actually meant.

"Yeah, level. In the trainer world, it's a way of telling how powerful your Pokemon actually _are. _For example, Roark's strongest Pokemon would be considered level fourteen. So, since you have the type advantage with Riolu, it'd be safe to say that you could get away with being level fourteen, too, so long as you have a few potions on hand," Leah explained, shrugging. "It gets a little complicated."

"I can tell," I muttered. "What level is Riolu at now?"

"Well, it's hard to say. I'd say eight or nine, judging by how long you two have been battling. He should learn Force Palm by level eleven."

"Oh. And by level twelve we can fight you?"

"Probably. Maybe thirteen, since _my _strongest Pokemon is level twenty-four. I'd go easy on you, and probably not use Prinplup-"

"I don't need you to go easy on me!" I interrupted indignantly. "Just you wait! I'm going to beat Roark, and then beat the others, and then the Elite Four, and then become the best Pokemon trainer the world's ever seen!" Leah laughed.

"Well, still. At level twelve, I'll need to go easy nevertheless."

"Hmmph." I turned away, calling, "Ready, Riolu?" He gave a low mumble, then pushed himself up with a sigh, one foot in front of the other in what I now knew as his battle-stance. I picked up the stick I had started using to rustle in the grass and attract curious wild Pokemon, thrusting it into the waving fronds and waving it around until a rather angry-looking Shinx burst out of cover, charging for Riolu. "Dodge it!" I called, backing up a few paces. "Now use Quick Attack!" Without a sound my Pokemon nimbly stepped out of the way and then swung around to hit the Shinx's back, sending it sprawling in the ground. It pushed itself up on its forelegs, turning to face Riolu and running in for another tackle. I tried to tell him to dodge it again, but cut off as the two collided. Riolu shook himself, rolling over and getting to his feet, and looked to me for the next move. "Counter!" I told him, glancing at his opponent as the Shinx scrambled up. My Pokemon jumped into the air, landing squarely on his adversary's back, and I watched as the two scrabbled on the ground for a few moments before each jumped back, huffing. I nodded, more to myself than anyone else, and called, "Quick Attack again!"

At this last move, the Shinx swayed and dropped to the ground, and Leah nodded her approval.

"Nice," she said appreciatively. "Keep it up and you and me can have our first battle by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I asked, my voice turning to a whine. She smirked.

"What, you were having so much fun that you didn't realize that the sun's going down?"

I looked up and, sure enough, there was a big orange ball hovering just above the horizon. Already the Zubat and occasional stray Noctowl were beginning to come out, blearily appearing in the branches of trees or near their roots, and I sighed and nodded.

"Okay."

Leah chuckled, though it was more laughing-at-me than genuine amusement, and I stuck my tongue out at her. This only made her snort again, though, and I crossed my arms and turned away.

"So," she began as we walked back to the Pokemon Center. "You want to bunk with me tonight?"

"Huh?" I asked, looking at her and narrowly avoiding tripping over a stray twig when my shoelace caught on it. "Bunk with you?"

"Yeah. Like, sharing a room for the night. You don't hate me _that _much, do you?" Her eyes were twinkling like my grandpa's did when he hung me upside down by my ankle and laughed about it as mom's Flareon snapped at my hair, so I didn't necessarily trust her.

"Like…a sleepover?" I asked, working it through in my mind. Leah smiled.

"Yup. Like a sleepover, except at the PokeCenter."

"Oh. Okay." In my mind, sleepovers were for best friends, like me and Lucy. But maybe Leah would be fun to have a sleepover with. She grinned.

"All right. Trainers get a free room, you know."

"Cool!"

She led me into the Center, waving at Nurse Joy (I was still having a little bit of a problem with the Joy family), and asked, "Are there any available rooms?"

"There always are!" Nurse Joy answered with a wink. At her side came a small cry of, "Sey! Chan-sey!" in agreement, and she chuckled and reached down to scratch one of her Pokemon assistants. Leah nodded, leading me down the escalator to a whole area of the Pokemon Center I had never even known about.

"Tada!" she said dramatically, presenting it with a wave of her hand. I gaped as I walked forward, almost forgetting to return Riolu, and looked around the room. There were plush chairs centered around an unused fireplace, multiple fluffy couches with coffee tables in front of them, and there was a whole wall devoted to picture frames. Pictures of Pokemon, trainers, battles, Gym leaders, and way more dominated the space, while on either side was a bookcase and a television. The last thing that caught my attention in the main room, though, was the beanbag chairs.

"Look!" I almost shrieked, pointing and making a few trainers grumble and rub their ears. "_Beanbag chairs!_"

"What's so special about-" Leah began, but I was already running forward to jump into the pile of beanbags, performing a dramatic faceplant into them and rolling around. If there was one thing I liked more than pancakes, it was these chairs. You could roll them, you could jump on them, you could suffocate yourself in them (as Dad had warned me before), you could snuggle into them-anything. I had a firm belief that there were three things everyone needed in life, and beanbags were one of them.

Leah walked up next to me with a look that said, _"Well aren't you good at making first impressions with other trainers," _but I ignored it and sat up. "So what _is _so special about these chairs?" she asked again, plopping down into one.

"I dunno, really," I told her happily. "I used to have beanbags everywhere in my room, though. They're just…awesome."

"Ah. Thanks for filling me in."

"You're welcome!" I leaned back, closing my eyes, and almost immediately opened them and stood back up. "So what about our room?" Leah rolled her eyes, but laughed.

"This way." I was towed along behind her as she walked to another hall that branched off the front room and stopped in front of a door that had the numbers "403" printed on it.

"Okay!" I slid our room key into it, frowned, flipped it over and tried again, and finally got the door open. Letting my only Pokemon out again, I looked around, wide-eyed, at the bunk bed shoved into the wall and the small ivory nightstand at the head of it. A few feet from that squatted a plush blue armchair and couch, and a small television sat on a woven, colorful rug in front of those. That was all the room really allowed though, because of its size, but it was cozy all the same.

"I call the top bunk!" Leah sang immediately, throwing her bag up onto the bed.

"No fair!" I exclaimed in response, running up to her and pulling her back off the ladder to scramble up it myself. She tackled me again, though, and it rapidly became a race to see who would reach the highest bed first. "No no no no no no _no_!" I squealed, leaping at her and then clinging to the rungs for dear life, grabbing her shirt as she tried to climb around me. I pulled her back down to the ground, and she finally sighed.

"All right, fine. Since _you're _youngest, _I'll _be mature and take the bottom bunk."

I almost lashed out in retaliation at the "youngest" jibe, but held my tongue. So she said _she _was the mature one, was she? Hm. We'll see about _that._

So Leah retrieved her bag from the top bunk and climbed down to the bottom one after severely instructing me "not to fall through the bed and squash her," and I smugly scaled the ladder and crawled under the sheets. Under normal circumstances I would have snuck out of bed and watched TV in the front room or something after everyone else had gone to bed, but I realized that I was far too tired for that now. _For Arceus' sake, I almost fell asleep before Leah!_ _That would have been a first… _

Drowsy thoughts became more and more incoherent, until they were meaningless babble that sung me to sleep as I drifted off.

**x.X.x**

**So yeah. XDDD**

**Thanks so much, as always; tell me how you think the relationship is, as always; enjoy it, as always; blah blah blah, as always ^^  
**


End file.
